When the news broke that Tyler Perry would be directing the novel turned movie “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuff” many people had a stir up of opinions. Women in particular had the most to say about him being chosen for directorial lead because the book garnered a large female audience. Many were concerned that Perry was not an experienced enough Director for the film.
Here we are months later and the movie has been prescreened. Thus far, there have been positive reviews of the movie by its core audience. Black women. However, popular Journalist Jawn Murray recently had a difference of opinion for the naysayers. Murray had the following to say via Twitter “All those militant nappy headed #Angry Black Women, who didn’t think Tyler Perry was worthy For Colored Girls can kick rocks. “ If that wasn’t enough, when Murray was faced with an immediate backlash for his comments about Black women he had the following to say “So a few militant-nappy-headed Angry Black Women are mad I used “nappy headed” earlier. Do me a favor= Get a life and get a perm. How’s that?” These words sent a lightning bolt across Twitter land. Immediately Murray was hit with a barrage of responses from his slanderous tweet.
My only response to Murray was “why we always gotta be nappy headed?” Why is the physical characteristic of being “nappy headed” the go to move when someone is attacking Black women? Murray could have left it at “militant Black women” but he chose to go an extra step to make his statement sting. He could have said they were “close minded”, or “judgmental”. Instead he chose the barbaric route and opted to call them nappy headed like so many others do when they try to attack a Black woman. Whether the woman is nappy headed or not, why choose to use that particular description as a form of attack?
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Here is the why. Society knows that there is a stigma about Black women and our hair. It can still be a sensitive topic in the Black community. White man like Don Imus have played on it and now so do Black men like Jawn Murray. We debate over everything that revolves around our hair in the Black community. We deliberate over Black women getting perms and if you get a perm are you trying to look more European? We have strong opinions on Black women shaving their head bald. Whether it is better to go natural, and lastly the hot topic of weave. Our hair has and always will be an all important topic. Being nappy headed is not necessarily a bad thing in everyone’s eyes but the connotation behind it is what means more. People say it with the intent on being hurtful and that is what gives it power.
Murray being a Black man is probably well aware of the ruckus that can emerge from a discussion about Black women and their hair and the sensitive nature that envelopes it in the Black community. Which is why I am even more offended that he would be as cowardly as to go the nappy headed route when responding. This makes me believe that he intentionally tried to hurt the feelings of every Black woman that followed him on Twitter. The intent was to be cruel, spiteful and insensitive. He wanted to be insulting and hurt Black women’s feelings and it worked. I am not insulted by someone calling a Black woman nappy headed rather the emotion and intent behind it. The knowing that this is hot button for many Black women and someone using it as a resource for attack is what pisses me off.
Should Black women get over the “nappy headed” issue? Should we consider it an insult? Are Black women overtly sensitive about the topic of their hair? Why does it bother us so much when someone refers to a Black woman as nappy headed? Let’s all be honest here because in recent times when that comment has been directed towards a Black woman, there was an outrage afterwards. Should we give the word that much power? When someone says it is their intent to be crude?
Why do blackwomen let black rapper degrade them that right no protest at all, and they say his cute with all them tatoos ... Then Imus calls them a NAPPY headed Hoe and he get fire protested .. Step up to the blackman dissing the sister ... By the way Im a professional blackman and that what i teach my daughter .. Protest/March do something it time your daughter taht are attracted to boys with thier pants sagging, just out of jail,and allways saying Bitch and you know what im saying.. stop this madeness
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